Plants require water in order to absorb nutrients from the soil. Many people water their plants with liquids such as rice water, herbal teas, coffee, or juices, as these have added nutrients.
While pure water that’s natural and free from chemicals is the best liquid for optimal plant growth, you can also experiment by giving your plants other types of water. For example, you can cook rice or vegetable, leave the water to cool, and then use it to water plants. This article will answer the question, ‘is rice water good for plants?’
Is rice water good for plants?
After cooking and draining rice, you’ll be left with rice water that can be used to water plants in your yard or home once cooled. Rice water is beneficial as it contains nutrients such as potassium, phosphorous, and nitrogen, as well as starches that are beneficial to plant growth and soil health. Rice water can be used as a natural fertilizer and is particularly helpful for tomatoes, roses, and money plants. It helps to promote good bacteria and micro-organisms in the soil and roots of the plants.
Rice water also contains seven different types of proteins, which can help plants thrive, and thirty fibers and fifteen amino acids. Using water that you’ve good rice provides plants with a good source of calcium, iron, iron, zinc, and other vitamins, which help plants stay green and healthy and keeps them safe from many insect pests.
It’s an Excellent Fertilizer
Rice water is an excellent natural fertilizer that’s been proven to help plants grow healthily, produce more leaves, fruit, or flowers, and creates a higher biomass level. It is even more effective than many commercial fertilizers and has the benefit that it won’t harm the environment.
Rice water has similar benefits as NPK fertilizers as it contains the same essential nutrients, which are nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. It also improves soil quality, increases plant growth, and helps provide the correct pH range for good bacteria and fungus to thrive. Rice water encourages bacteria such as Lacto Bacilli and mycorrhizae, which help feed plants and encourage growth.
It is an Effective Pesticide
Rice water can also be used as an effective pesticide, as it helps to control many common insect pests. Rice water will eliminate fruit flies and works well on most varieties of gourd. You can spray rice water over your plants and soil to get rid of insects and keep them away.
Which plants will benefit from rice water?
Here are five plants that have shown beneficial results by being watered with rice water. Rice water contains the nutrients that are required for these plants to thrive:
Tomatoes
Tomato plants require enough potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorous if they are to thrive and produce a healthy crop of fruit. Rice water contains nutrients that are very beneficial for tomato plant growth. It’s best to give your tomato plants rice water when they are flowering to give them a boost of nutrients. Rice water can help you grow tomatoes with thick stems.
Roses
To thrive, roses require phosphorous and potassium which are both found in rice water. These nutrients help to boost the roses’ ability to flower. If you give roses rice water in the early spring at the beginning of the growing season, you may find that the plant can produce larger flowers and is healthier overall.
Money Plants
Rice water is also very good for money plants and other succulents as it provides them with nutrients to grow healthily. The potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorous, as well as the starch, helps to enrich the soil.
Chilli Plants
Chili plants are very similar to tomato plants and require the same nutrients. They mainly need nitrogen to grow well and produce chilies. Give your chili pepper plants rice water regularly in small quantities throughout the growing season.
House Plants
You can also use rice water to add nutrients to the soil of house plants such as Aloe Vera, snake plants, and Lucky Bamboo.
Conclusion
Rice water is very beneficial to plants, especially tomatoes, chilies, roses, money plants, and other varieties of succulents. It contains many essential vitamins and minerals which can help plants thrive and also protects them against insect infestation. If you’ve been thinking of experimenting by giving your plants liquids other than water, rice water is very beneficial and worth trying.